Garrus knew the apartment would not have food for him, so he brought a load of sustinance from Palaven and stocked the kitchen.
Earth was not likely to have provisions for dextro beings. What he had would last for a month or two, but then he'd have to find another way to find food. He wasn't sure what would happen in the next few days. Shepard was pretty upset with him- she may not even want him here. He was prepared to leave if he had to.
His father and Solana hadn't agreed with his leaving to find Shepard, but they understood the circumstances. It was difficult for them to fully comprehend the relationship he had with Thalassa. If only they'd had a chance to see it with their own eyes, maybe then they would approve. But then again, his leaving to be with Shepard has caused a lot of conflict within his family. If they knew he had been planning to spend the rest of his life with her- well, let's say they probably would just disown him altogether.
Shepard was still asleep by the late morning hours, and he didn't have the heart to wake her. She obviously needed the sleep.
The snow hadn't stopped and the white dust caked the cityscape in white. It never snowed on Palaven- so he was indifferent to the cold and had no taste for it, yet Shepard always dragged him to the places where the climate was prevalent.
There was a series of grunting noises coming from the bedroom. He chuckled to himself and he started brewing coffee in the kitchen. The times when he would make the dark liquid for her on the Normandy came to mind. He didn't understand humans' fascination with it. It smelled like burnt dirt to him. He heard her shuffling around when finally, she stepped out into the living room. He was perched on a bar stool at the kitchen counter. His mandibles spread out with a twitch.
"Good morning."
He said, just to test the waters. Her eyes were wide awake with what seemed like surprise, but she was really just trying to keep her eyes open. She made her way over and leaned against the counter, glancing from the window to his eyes. "I- thought you left." She muttered and he noticed her chewing on her lip, a bad habit of hers. His eyes searched her- wanting to know exactly what she was thinking.
"Where would I go? My home is here." He replied just as the coffee quit brewing. The familiar aroma made her grin and she shook her head lightly. "I don't deserve to have you here, Garrus."
She said, pouring the black nectar into a mug.
"Why do think that?"
There was a long pause because she took a sip of her coffee. She couldn't force her eyes to meet his, though she knew he was looking at her with his icy blue ones. She set her coffee on the counter and rested her hands on the flat surface. "Even though we beat the reapers- I can't help feeling like we failed. I feel like I failed."
She couldn't get herself to verbally list off all the people who died during the war, but their faces flashed through her mind. Mordin, Legion, EDI, Anderson, Thane... some people she had cared about.
Garrus sat across from her quietly and listened, his mandibles clasped to his face. He could tell this had been bothering her. All of this pain she was carrying wasn't necessarily hers to bear. She was always empathetic- but he knew she needed a reminder that she couldn't control it all. By this time, he had gotten up and made his way over to her. She made eye contact with him and he took her hand, leaning in to nuzzle the side of her face.
"Shepard, you've always expected so much of yourself. Let's pull you back into your own boots for a moment. Yes, you've accomplished many incredible things in your lifetime, but that does not make you all-powerful. You're still human. You have limits and that's okay. No one expected you to be able to save everyone, not even the people who chose to follow you to hell and back expected that from you."
She rested her free hand against his side, sniffling to try and hold back the tears.
She knew he was right- instead of feeling sorry for herself, she knew it was time to mourn her friends instead.
She took a breath and pressed closer to him, kissing his neck softly. "Thank you for being here."
He hummed and let go of her hand to embrace her. "There's no where else I would rather be."
They stood there for a while and before long Shepard had finished her coffee and they had discussed what had happened after the crucible. Garrus explained the situation with the Normandy and them having to port somewhere to repair. It had taken them a while- then they dropped each crew member off. He had gone to visit his family. He left the bit out about Primarch Victus contacting him and requesting that Garrus be the next Primarch because... it was not something he thought would be appropriate for now.
Shepard told him more about her hospital experience. It was a good conversation. Garrus ran a talon through Shepard's hair and 'hmphed'.
"I need to shower, but I have issues washing my hair. My arms can't be raised for very long..." she admitted and smiled at him.
"Go shower. I'll be here when you finish. I'll probably get some kind of meal going."
She kissed him before leaving to the bedroom. He stood there for a moment- He didn't cook. He barely knew how to cook a meal for himself let alone one for her.
That got him moving.
Before long, she had already been in the shower for a couple minutes. She was startled by the bathroom door opening- it was hard to see through the curtain. Garrus appeared with a clear of his throat. "Ah, I needed a shower too so- I figured-" She smirked and gestured.
"Get over here, Scars."